Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Joshua Krause's Gallery Two exhibition, 'Convince Me I'm on Fire' includes acrylic, enamel, and resin collages on natural or painted wood backgrounds. The foregrounds are dominated by lacy, organic patterns composed of obsessively uniform white dots. Intuitively wrought black tendrils, eyes, or the half-glimpsed features of disembodied faces emerge from the baroque designs within their own inky blue and leathery brown quilt patches. The foreground imagery seems magnified, like the millions of fern seed pods which cling to the undersides of fronds, illuminated by phosphorescent moss. Primarily self-taught, Krause's intricate works are examples of painting as a microscope, rather than a window, to the world. Born in New York City in 1977, and raised in Florida, Joshua lives and works in San Diego, California.